Danser Pour Deux
by jylener22
Summary: Life is made of meetings and partings. The longer a person lives and the more people the person comes into contact with, the more that person's life will be effected and usually changed. Whether for the worse or the better, one can only guess. Story mainly features Rukia, Ichigo, Byakuya, Orihime, Renji as well as some other Bleach characters. Friendship connects them all together.
1. Developing Bonds

Dancer Pour Deux

"All right, once again from the top! And this time actually listen to the music! You fall half a beat behind during the bridge every time!"

Ichigo and Rukia took their positions on the far left side of the room. Rukia sighed inwardly as she and her dance partner of the past four years were being made to repeat this dance for the sixth time in a row. She wasn't sure how much more she could take of this ridiculous dance and their pushy instructor.

For the past four weeks, Ichigo and Rukia's regular dance instructors, the renowned Rangiku Matsumoto-Hisagi along with her husband Shuhei, had been away preparing for a professional dance competition of their own, so that left Rangiku's assistant, Nanao Ise, to teach in Rangiku's place. Even though Rangiku was very tough on her more advanced students who wanted to dance competitively, Nanao was just ludicrously picky. The woman had already accused Rukia of backleading four times in this one session. Outrageous!

Ichigo must have sensed Rukia's rising irritation because he murmured out of the corner of his mouth, "If you say one thing and we have to listen to another of Nanao's lectures..." then he let the threat hang in the air.

Rukia did not have a chance to retort because swirling and twisting intro from 'Tango Flamenco' by Armik started the next moment and her trained body flowed into action.

Ten seconds of slow and sensual creating of distance between her and her partner, before the last five seconds were Ichigo's cue to catch up, glide in front of her and refocus her attention on him. Then their hands were connected and their feet and bodies moved in tandem.

Intricate footwork required them both to quickly and accurately place their feet in time to the music and trust that their partner would do the same. Even the most beautifully choreographed dance would fail in a competition if the dance partners didn't trust one another. It wasn't just a matter of knowing the steps cold; it had everything to do with literally believing that your partner would never intentionally let you fall.

As the dance progressed, Rukia found herself going on auto-pilot through the steps and quickly snapped her mind back to attention. Even though her muscles had practiced this dance so many times she could basically do it in her sleep, Rukia's mind needed to remain focused and thinking about what steps she was supposed to execute at least ten seconds before they happened.

Ninety seconds into the song, Rukia's focused ears picked up the drum cue that told her the faster bridge section was coming. Immediately, she looked into Ichigo's eyes and knew he was thinking the same thing. Nanao had said they were half a beat behind, so this time they would make sure not to let it happen again.

Fifteen seconds of spins, faster footwork and ending with Ichigo lifting Rukia up by wrapping one arm around her waist and doing a few spins of his own before he froze and slowly lowered her to the ground as the original melody came back.

Another forty seconds of the melody with the steps similar to before, but much more intricate. Rangiku had told the two of them to imagine that there was a little more push and pull in their relationship. More conflict. A little more passion but reluctance to act upon it.

Then the drum cue for another bridge came and Rukia knew they had thirty more seconds before their routine was finished. Again the steps were similar, but by this point Rukia could feel her muscles burning and twitching in exertion. There was nothing she wanted to do more than to make her foot hooks a little less snappy and to move her hips not quite as much, but she knew that that was exactly what Nanao would be looking for.

Also, her pride would not let her. She was a Kuchiki and she could not live with herself if she knew that she had given any less than 100% in these last few minutes of her dance lesson. Rukia would know it and she was positive Ichigo would know if she had given up as well.

The dance finished with Ichigo twirling Rukia until her back was facing him and he pulled her towards him. She allowed herself to fall and as she did, Rukia felt Ichigo let go of her left arm to allow her to gracefully arc it so that when she came to rest supported by Ichigo's right arm and leg, her hand was settled against the left side of his face.

One hundred and eighty seconds of graceful yet grueling dance moves for the tango and the worst part of the dance was here at the end.

They held their final position for several more seconds with Ichigo's left leg stuck out straight behind him, right knee bent, left hand holding Rukia's and Rukia nearly parallel with the floor and their eyes fixed upon each other. They could see the slight amount of perspiration on the other's face and feel the other person's muscles trembling in exertion, but they held as still as they could. The worst part was trying to make the effort look effortless.

Finally, Nanao's voice said, "That was better. I think we're done for today."

Ichigo groaned gratefully and straightened up, pulling Rukia along with him.

He stretched his arms above his head and groaned again before he mumbled, "How is it that someone as tiny as you can manage to be so heavy?"

Rukia had been rolling her shoulders and stretching as well when she froze and slowly turned to face her partner, saying in a low dangerous voice, "Say what?"

Ichigo did not look at all worried as he replied, "One would think someone as short and skinny as you would be as light as a feather, but I'm starting to wonder if half of your body is made up of bricks or something."

It didn't matter that she had been Ichigo's partner for years or that she knew that he only did this to irritate her or that she had promised herself countless of times not to let him get under her skin so easily. Rukia always, always, always took the bait.

"What do you mean my body is made of bricks? Half the time I wonder if someone replaced your brain and heart with rocks! I've never met anyone as hard-headed and heartless as you! You should be grateful to have someone of my obvious talent and size for your partner!"

Ichigo rolled his eyes and walked away saying, "Whatever. I'm outta here."

Rukia was about to scream like a young child having a tantrum, when Ichigo turned his head and body slightly in order to say, "Don't forget that we're meeting up with Renji, Tatsuki and the others before prom tonight. Last I knew, everyone was going to be at your place by four thirty to take pictures before we go out for dinner."

Opening and closing her mouth a couple of times, Rukia's fury died down, but her irritation remained as she crossed her arms and retorted, "I didn't forget. You'd better be on time then."

He gave her his customary salute of farewell by putting two fingers against his temple and flicking them in her direction saying, "Will do," before he turned and made his way to collect his dance gear.

Rukia stood still for a time before she collected her thoughts enough to shake herself out of her daze and move quickly to gather up her things. Her older brother said he would pick her up from the dance studio today and the last thing she wanted to do was keep Byakuya waiting. It wasn't like Byakuya would yell at her, call her lazy or belittle her in any way, but Rukia hated feeling like she was wasting his time. He was an important man with lots of better things to do than to pick up his young, adopted sister from her dance classes, so Rukia intended to make sure that he didn't waste any more of his time than was absolutely necessary.

When Rukia was only five, Byakuya and his wife Hisana, who also happened to be Rukia's sister, had adopted Rukia. She had been too young to understand or remember much of what was going on, but up until that point, Rukia had been raised by her grandfather, Ginrei Kuchiki, because her parents had passed away not long after she was born. Ginrei had taken care of her as best he knew how for almost five years, but then his health began to fail rapidly and he asked Byakuya and Hisana to care for Rukia instead.

At the time, Byakuya and Hisana had been living in another country, but had moved back when they heard about the situation. It had not been necessary to adopt Rukia in order for them to legally take her into their home, but Byakuya knew that his wife would appreciate him officially taking Rukia into his family.

Rukia could remember the first time she had met Byakuya and Hisana. Ginrei was weak enough that he needed to use a wheelchair, but as she sat in his lap as they were pushed along by Ginrei's trusted servant and friend, Chojiro Sasakibe, she could feel his strong arms holding her in his lap gently but securely. Ginrei was not an outwardly affectionate person and plenty of times Rukia's schoolmates had commented on how scary he looked, but Rukia knew better. He never said it, but Rukia knew that Ginrei loved her and wanted what was best for her. Which was why she was so scared to leave him and live with people she had never met before.

Her face had been pressed against Ginrei's chest so that she didn't see but rather felt when they stopped and her grandfather started talking to someone. Rukia could feel Ginrei's chest vibrate slightly as his low, quiet voice responded to the other person. It was a comforting feeling, especially because she could feel her grandfather's comforting heartbeat keeping the same time as her own.

So absorbed was she in listening to those familiar sounds, that she was quite shaken when suddenly a pair of unfamiliar arms placed themselves on her shoulders in order to pull her away from her grandfather. Rukia had jerked in surprise and let out a startled cry as she turned to face her assailant.

Bending close to Rukia was a woman with a beautiful and kind face whose expression seemed to reflect Rukia's own feeling of astonishment. They stared at each other for a time, trying to figure out what to do next.

Finally, the woman had spoken softly and gently saying, "I'm sorry I startled you, sweetheart. Are you all right?"

Rukia's response had been a slow nod of the head, before the woman had smiled and continued, "I'm glad. It is the middle of the afternoon, so maybe you were getting ready to take a nap on Grandfather's lap. He's told me that you do every once in a while."

Another nod from Rukia before the woman said, "Well, I'll let you go to sleep very soon, but I'm sure you'd be far more comfortable in a bed. I have a room all set up for you at my house and from what I heard from your grandfather it is exactly like your room in his house. All your own furniture and toys are set up for you so you can feel more at home. What do you say to coming home with me and my husband and being part of our family?"

For a time, Rukia had not moved or made a sound when she heard a voice almost exactly like her grandfather's speak up saying, "What is your answer, Rukia?"

Rukia's eyes snapped to a tall, dark-haired man standing behind the woman who was looking at Rukia with a firm expression. At first, Rukia had cringed away at his stern countenance, before some familiar feeling caused her to look again more closely. The man's expression and eyes were exactly the same as her grandfather's.

It was at that point that Rukia forgot all about her reluctance. These people were not strangers. They were family. She could feel safe with them.

However, her five-year-old mind still had one more matter that needed to be settled before she would go with the man and woman without reservation. She turned her face to look at her grandfather and he looked down to meet her gaze.

"Grandfather, am I going to see you and Mr. Sasakibe and Mrs. Tsukimi and everyone else again?"

Ginrei didn't hesitate as he said seriously, "Of course Rukia. You may come and visit."

With that, Rukia stretched her little face up in order to kiss her grandfather's cheek before she turned and held out her arms to the kind woman so that she could help her out of her grandfather's lap.

Instead of putting Rukia on the ground, the woman held Rukia in her arms and said, "I'm very glad you are coming home with us, Rukia. My name is Hisana and this is my husband, Byakuya."

A few minutes later, Byakuya escorted his wife and adopted daughter/sister (it would be several years before Rukia would be old enough to understand that Hisana was actually her biological sister who was about eighteen years older than Rukia, even though Hisana was now technically Rukia's adopted mother as well) towards a waiting car. As they walked away, Rukia turned around for one more look at her grandfather and it was an image that would be burned into her memory for the rest of her life. She didn't know it at the time, but that was to be the last time she would see him alive because less than a week later, Ginrei passed away peacefully in his sleep.

Several years passed and Rukia flourished under Hisana and Byakuya's care. Hisana was kind and patient and every inch a lady worthy of being married to someone as important and sophisticated as Byakuya Kuchiki, whereas Byakuya was cool and strict and very business oriented. However, when dealing with his wife and Rukia, a small amount of softness would creep into his manner. It was all but imperceptible, but it did exist.

Byakuya's main form of business was designing lavish buildings and landscapes and he was the best in his line of business. His signature involved planting a cherry tree at whatever site he worked on.

When Rukia was ten, Byakuya made a business partnership with Shiba Corp. which specialized in interior design. The company was run by the Shiba family with the oldest daughter, Kukaku, taking care of logistics and number-crunching and the second oldest, Kaien, took charge of all design work. Ganju, the youngest, was about Rukia's age and so was not actively enrolled in the company. All though, he would spend as much time as he could helping out in whatever capacity he was able too.

After the business partnership was settled, for the next four years, barely a day would go by when Kaien Shiba and his wife, Miyako, wouldn't come by the Kuchiki residence.

Rukia adored Kaien and looked up to Miyako the same way she did Hisana. It was actually due to Kaien and Miyako's suggestion that she took up dancing at age eleven. Despite the fact that Rukia had started at a rather late age, she quickly found she had a natural talent for dance and excelled exponentially.

At first, Rukia had taken ballet, jazz and contemporary dance, but then had seen a couple in another studio practicing different ballroom routines and Rukia had been hooked. She had signed up for ballroom lessons with Rangiku and had been paired with Ichigo Kurosaki when they were twelve.

In the beginning, it had been difficult to work with him since they were constantly picking on each other and because of their height difference. Normally, dancing couples were nearly the same height, but Rukia was more than three heads shorter than Ichigo which made dances like the foxtrot and waltz difficult because their dancing frame had to be adjusted dramatically. Other couples could keep their arms and elbows about shoulder height, but Ichigo had to keep his arms low enough to create the frame so that Rukia didn't look like she was trying to climb up a tree.

There had been plenty of times during that first year when Ichigo and Rukia both had demanded to know why Rangiku insisted on keeping them as a pair even though it wasn't working. Rangiku's only response had been to say with a knowing smile, "Chemistry. I see potential for sizzling chemistry in you two." Then she would clap her hands and tell the two irritated partners to do it again from the top.

One day, Rukia was almost ready to storm out of the dance lesson because she just couldn't take any more of Ichigo or Rangiku. However, she had taken her position dutifully and grudgingly waited for the music to start. In those moments, Rukia had looked up at her dance partner and saw that he felt exactly the same way that she did. He was ready to throw in the towel as well.

When she came to that realization, a strategy suddenly popped into her mind. Rukia would give this dance everything she had and completely blow this jerk's ego out of the water so that he would quit dancing in complete and utter disgrace. However, once the dance started, Rukia quickly came to realize that Ichigo seemed to have come up with exactly the same plan as she had. He was trying to force her to quit in a cloud of shame! This realization made Rukia all the more determined to best him and put every ounce of energy she had into besting this orange-haired idiot and Ichigo's response was to step up the pace as well.

Suddenly, in the middle of their routine, Ichigo decided to improvise some new choreography in an attempt to throw Rukia off balance. The first time he changed one of the steps, Rukia was caught off-guard, but then she caught onto his game and determined not to let Ichigo's strategy faze her. For whatever reason, Rukia discovered that by looking into Ichigo's face, she could read when he planned to change one of the steps and follow his lead.

When the dance finally ended, Ichigo and Rukia stood staring at one another, not sure how to react. They had begun the session that day the same as they always had: loathing Rangiku and hating each other. However, just then, in their drive to out dance their partner, they had somehow drifted into working together as one couple rather than two people fighting against each other. Their competitiveness had had the opposite effect than what they had anticipated: it had driven them together rather than apart.

From that point on, while their relationship outside of dance remained pretty much the same, with them picking on each other, there was always this sense of a special connection between them. They understood each other almost as well and they did themselves. The result was that in nearly every dance competition they were involved in, the placed in the top three couples. They had discovered the chemistry Rangiku had seen all along.

When they were old enough to enter high school, they wound up going to the same school and being in the same classes with the rest of their friends.

During the first few months of school, when certain people heard that Ichigo was into dancing, they would tease him about his manliness and such. At first, Ichigo's first response was to beat the crap out of them along with his friends Renji (who was teased because he enjoyed art) and Tatsuki (because no one believed that she was really as good at martial arts as some people claimed, until she set them straight), until the school's principal got fed up with the fighting.

At the assistant principal's suggestion (who had a soft spot for the arts and understood that people who were against it often didn't understand just how hard someone had to work in order to excel in the arts), Ichigo and the others were punished by having to put on a demonstration of their talents for the whole school and then give students an opportunity to learn some of the basics of those art forms from those same students. After that exercise, the fights became nonexistent.

Things had gone well the rest of that year, but in the beginning of Rukia's second year of high school, a terrible tragedy had happened. Kaien and Miyako Shiba were involved in a horrible car crash that killed both of them. Rukia barely had time to mourn her dear friends for two weeks before her beloved sister died due to an unexpected heart failure.

For three weeks, Rukia could barely manage to drag herself to school, let alone find the energy to take dance lessons, until one Saturday morning, Ichigo came to her house. Rukia had come down to the front hallway to see her dance partner standing there with his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

There had been no pitying expression on his face. No words of consolation came out of his mouth. He only said two words, "Come on," before he turned and walked out the front door. Not knowing how else to react, Rukia had slipped on her shoes and followed him outside.

Ichigo led her through the streets in complete silence and Rukia made no attempt to ask him what he was doing. They had finally stopped at the river that flowed on the outskirts of the city and they stood there side by side in silence for what seemed like forever. However, the silence that hung between them was not of the uncomfortable sort that people feel the need to fill. It was instead the kind that two people who have known each other long enough to understand that there is no rush to start the conversation.

Finally, Ichigo took a deep breath and said, "Let it out, Rukia. You're not doing anyone any favors being this depressed."

Rukia's first reaction was to lash out at Ichigo screaming about his insensitivity and idiocy. Her tirade lasted for about ten minutes before she finally felt the need to sit down and recover her energy. Throughout the whole thing, Ichigo had simply stood there, looking at Rukia with a steady gaze and kept his mouth shut. When she sat, Ichigo waited a few moments before he slowly lowered himself down to sit beside her.

Looking out over the water, Ichigo said simply, "Good to see you still have some life left in you, Rukia. Kaien, Miyako and your sister must be glad."

It was at that point that Rukia really understood just how close Ichigo and she had become. For whatever reason, he had known exactly how to push her buttons to allow her to react and vent out all her anger, frustration, depression and sadness over the loss of three of the people whom she loved dearly. There was still a slight pang inside whenever she thought about them, but it was not nearly as stifling as it had been a few minutes ago. She would live and she could move forward.

In light of this realization, Rukia had moved over until she could lean her shoulder against Ichigo's and said, "Thank you, Ichigo. I needed that."

Ichigo had shifted slightly before he said, "Yeah, whatever."

Their connection, bond and trust had grown stronger since that event, on and off the dance floor, and in the back of Rukia's mind she wondered if their friendship would ever turn into something more…intimate.

Shaking herself out of the reveries, Rukia looked at the clock on her dresser and saw that it was almost three thirty. A little more than forty minutes to finish getting ready until her friends arrived and they would go to prom together.

Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Rukia thought to herself, 'This is going to be an unforgettable night.'

Her prediction couldn't have been more accurate.

**Author's Note:**

Ok, a few things you should know about this story right from the start:

1) THIS IS NOT ICHIRUKI! So, if you have read any of my other work and are wondering what in the world I am doing putting Ichigo and Rukia together like this, it will make more sense. However, if you are an Ichiruki fan, you are not going to want to read this story because that pairing will not exist in this story.

Let me explain. I see Ichigo and Rukia as two people who have similar personalities and so therefore understand each other and I think I am portraying that. However, because of the way they interact with one another, I don't really see them as a romantic couple, but rather as brother and sister. From my viewpoint, they have the same interests and ideals, pick on each other and react in a similar way that I do with my own brother. Not to be whatever, but that's just my opinion. I can't see them as a couple because they remind me too much of myself and my brother.

You can have your own opinion and are welcome to it and I don't mind if you tell me that you don't agree with me, but that is not going to change the fact that Ichiruki will not happen in my story.

2) I am NOT a dance expert. One of my younger sisters took dance for a time, I have gone to ballets, I did do a little research and I have watched lots of dance videos of professional dancers in the past few days, but I can almost guarantee that something I write will not be accurate or plausible. I hope that what I come up with is somewhere in the realm of possibility (like Ichigo and Rukia being able to read each others movements), but there will likely be some stretching of truth. My hope is that you will take the story for the story's sake and enjoy it despite any error I may make.

3) While I have worked with Rukia in my previous stories, this will be the first time that I will actually make her the main character. The entire Kuchiki clan are characters whom I know, but I am trying to begin to understand as deeply as I do Orihime, who is my all-time favorite character. If I make her do things that are completely out of character, don't hesitate to tell me because how else am I to get better at writing about her? I always welcome critiques on anything and everything, so please don't worry about pointing out when I do something wrong. There may be a reason, such as I do have a reason for Rukia wanting to be in a relationship with Ichigo and that will be developed later on, but most likely other alterations will just be ignorance on my part.

Okay, if you have any questions on any dance terms (I only used one or two in here), I would be more than happy to clear up any questions you may have as best I can.

Hopefully, everything makes sense and I hope you enjoy this story with me!

[Added May 24]

I would like to address the first two reviews I got for this story since I think they made some interesting points that I failed to mention or explain.

To Honest reviewer: Thank you for those words of caution and for a time I did debate about whether or not to actually put this under just Rukia, but I put it under both her and Ichigo because this story is going to be about the two of them and how they relate to one another. There are going to be some chapters done from Ichigo's viewpoint, which is another reason why I put it under both their names. I couldn't very well label it and Ichigo and Orihime because while Orihime will be deeply involved with the story, this is mostly about Ichigo and Rukia's friendship and connection that does exist within Bleach. I do happen to believe that Ichigo and Rukia share a special connection and bond, I just don't see it as being romantic.

I am going to do my best not to portray Rukia as clingy or sappy or vindictive because that is not in her nature. I wrote that she only 'wondered' if their relationship could become romantic. I never said anything about her actually 'being in love' with Ichigo or that she felt a strong attraction to him.

Thank you for sincerely stating your opinion, Honest reviewer, and I do thank you that you left your review and left it at that.

To Ninie-San: You are absolutely right! Thank you for the correction! :)

[Added May 24]

This story is not Ichiruki and I did state it clearly, but upon deeper reflection on Honest reviewer's comments, I have to admit that to leave both Ichigo's and Rukia's names in the tags, it is deceptive and misleading to people looking for a story about their favorite pairing. In that respect, I cannot in all decency let my story remain like this and so I will take away Ichigo's name from the tags. I will keep the warning in place and some of the chapters will still be from Ichigo's perspective, but it will only be labeled with Rukia's name since it will mostly be about her.

I will continue this story and I hope if you chose to read the rest that you will enjoy it as much as I will enjoy writing it because I do take pride and enjoyment in my work.


	2. A Night to Remember

Dancer Pour Deux: Part 2

This was exactly why Ichigo absolutely hated taking group pictures. For what felt like ten minutes, Tatsuki's mom had been furiously pushing the button on her digital camera trying to take the 'perfect prom picture'.

Ichigo could sympathize with the woman's eagerness. He couldn't think of a single instance when Tatsuki had ever worn a skirt by choice, let alone a fancy prom dress.  
When Mrs. Arisawa had heard that Tatsuki and her friends were going as a group to prom, Ichigo had heard that the woman had almost fainted from shock. Now she was trying to take as many pictures as possible to make sure this historic moment would never be forgotten.

The problem lay in the fact that Mrs. Arisawa was a perfectionist by nature (now Ichigo could tell where Tatsuki got it from) and so if someone had blinked or if there smile wasn't quite right, because her camera was digital, she could tell right away and would insist on taking another one.

If Tatsuki had not adamantly refused to take any individual pictures, Ichigo, Renji, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Momo, Toshiro and Rukia would not have been forced to endure the entire ordeal as well. Fortunately for Ichigo, he didn't smile with teeth (what he was doing could barely qualify as a grin, but he managed to look as if he didn't mind taking pictures) and Mrs. Arisawa didn't seem to mind that he wasn't, so his face was not sore. He was just getting tired of standing there.

Finally, Mrs. Arisawa looked at her camera and cried, "Oh! It's perfect! Thank you everybody!"

Everyone barely managed to stop themselves from physically sagging with relief.

The Kuchiki residence was the perfect place to take pictures with the backyard garden set up the way it was. There were several kinds of trees planted strategically around the area, a space between two specific trees that housed a wooden bench, beautiful but not heavily aromatic flowers carefully arranged and to top it off there was a man-made creek flowing towards the back of the yard that emptied into a pond filled with interesting plants and even more interesting looking fish. One almost felt as if it were a world all its own.

Now that the most grueling part of the evening was over, the high school friends piled into the Kuchiki family limo (complete with professional chauffer, Chojiro Sasakibe, who had begun working for Byakuya after the death of Ginrei) and chatted easily as they were driven to The Sakura Resort, a luxury hotel owned and run by Kuchiki & Shiba Corp., where they had made dinner reservations.

Rukia had known Momo, Yumichika and Ikkaku since middle school and when she started going to the same high school as Ichigo, Rukia had expanded her circle of friends to include Ichigo's long-time pals Renji, Tatsuki and Toshiro. The eight friends had all found a common bond in that they all considered their different talents 'artistic' in their own rights. Ichigo and Rukia did ballroom dancing, Renji excelled at any kind of art while Momo specialized in painting and sketching, Ikkaku and Tatsuki were both deeply involved in martial arts (Ichigo had been in some of the same classes when they were younger, but eventually cut back when he started becoming more involved in dance), Yumichika had a passion for fashion and cosmetics (he especially loved working in a theatrical setting) and Toshiro was a budding cellist. One of their unspoken codes was that every member of the group would make every effort to attend as many of their friends' performances as possible. In this way, no matter the outcome of any competition or performance, each person was equally supported by the others.

They were by no means a 'clique' or completely cut off from the rest of their classmates, but these eight shared a common bond and felt most comfortable around the other seven in the group.

All the way to the resort, the friends chatted and bantered easily with one another about anything that came to mind. Dinner saw much of the same as well as the drive from the resort to the high school.

Upon their arrival at the school at precisely 6:30, Ichigo and the other guys stepped out before helping Rukia, Tatsuki (yes, she had allowed herself to be 'helped out'…but only for this one night) and Momo out of the limo. All the young men were sharply dressed in tuxedos (they all owned their own fitted tux's since most artistic venues require professional attire…the tuxedos had actually been designed and made by Yumichika) while the girls wore floor-length dresses.

Rukia wore a deep purple gown with a silky underskirt and a sparkly taffeta layer on top. Her short hair had been done up with flashing diamond clips while her ears and neck and left wrist wore matching jewelry (presents from Byakuya for her sixteenth birthday). In a light blue dress covered with swirls of white and a tiny hint of purple to create a kind of wind effect across the skirt of the dress, Momo looked quite stunning. She wore simple silver jewelry and shoes that had a small heel so that the very edge of her dress skimmed the ground. Tatsuki wore a deep blue gown cut in a mermaid style so that it simply draped gracefully over her toned and athletic frame. In the spirit of the evening, Tatsuki had allowed her mother to arrange her hair and hang a simple string of pearls around her neck and two small pearl studs in her ears.

All the guys wore different color bow-ties and cummerbunds with Toshiro in deep green, Yumichika wearing gold, Ikkaku sporting a beautiful sunset orange and Renji decked out in a red set that clashed brilliantly with his bright hair. All the colors of the rainbow were accounted for. In Ichigo's case, since they normally had to wear matching costumes, Yumichika had decided to make Ichigo's tie and cummerbund the same color as Rukia's dress.

Ikkaku was the only one who wasn't as used to wearing a tuxedo and so tugged at his collar, grumbling, "Whose brilliant idea was it again to wear these ridiculous get-ups?"

Yumichika always became extremely annoyed when anyone foolishly criticized his creations, and so he snapped at Ikkaku, "What was that? How dare you call one of my tuxedos 'ridiculous'?"

Before Yumichika could go any farther in his tirade, a group of girls walked in front of him and he immediately put on his most winning smile. If Yumichika had one major flaw it was that he didn't want any member of the opposite sex (outside of the group) to see him in anything less but 'perfect gentleman mode' at all times.

Deciding that now would be the best time to attempt to break up the brewing argument, Ichigo began walking towards the building saying, "The rest of you guys can stay out here and quibble all you want. I'm going in."

Ichigo didn't have to look behind him to know that the rest of his friends were right behind him.

The prom was being held outside near the gymnasium. A temporary dance floor had been erected on the lawn and a DJ and his assistant were setting up all their equipment. At the four corners of the dance floor, four poles had been raised and strings of multi-colored lights hung over the floor. Other decorations of sorts included a kind of tall, temporary picket fence with a large archway set up as an entrance where several students were standing and checking to make sure every guest had purchased a ticket for the evening's festivities. There were already students milling around inside the fence with some going over to a second, more highly decorated, archway in order to have their pictures taken.

After they all got past the first archway, Renji quipped, "I'm not taking any more pictures tonight."

The others nodded in agreement and mutually headed over to where there were multiple tables and chairs set up to the right of the dance floor. Once they were seated, the friends continued chatting amongst themselves until 7:00 when the DJ quickly tested his microphone before opening up the main event of the evening.

"Welcome to the 23rd annual Karakura High School Prom! Let me ask you all this question: are you ready to get this party started?"

The students cheered enthusiastically as the DJ went on, "Now that's what I like to hear! Well, I'm your DJ for the night! Don Kanonji's the name and laying down music, sweet music for you fine young people to dance the night away too is my game! So, without further ado, let's start this prom off right! Everyone on the dance floor and boogie to this cool number!"

Despite the fact that some of his terminology was rather dated, there was no doubt that this guy was rather in tune with the current music fads as the opening strains from the song 'Cupid Shuffle' floated from the speakers. The dance floor was quickly flooded with students moving in time to the music and almost in perfect sync with each other, as it was a line dance. The eight friends looked at each other for a moment before they got to their feet and joined the rest of the crowd moving from right to the left, kicking their feet and then 'walking by themselves'.

As the first song ended, Don Kanonji's voice came back over the speakers as he said, "Well, well, well! Now, let's change things up a little with this next little number! It's an oldie, but I think we can all agree that it is a goodie!"

With that, 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' by Niki French began and the student body immediately dispersed into couples or groups or headed off the dance floor. While Ichigo and Rukia were the 'official dancers' in the group, the rest of their friends were pretty decent at dancing as well and so they formed a group of their own and just let loose.

The next song was 'Uptown Girl' by Billy Joel and Ichigo looked at Rukia and saw that she had the same idea. With a quick nod to his friends to let them know that the two of them would be 'flying solo' this song, Ichigo took Rukia's hand and spun her around a couple of times before they created their frame a beat before the first verse began. What they wound up creating was a mix between different foxtrot and quickstep maneuvers plus some tango foot hooks and placement sprinkled in to add a little flavor. They both read each other perfectly and while their gaze was pretty focused on their partner, both Ichigo and Rukia were professional enough to use their peripheral vision to notice where the other students were dancing and avoid any collisions.

As they were performing a complicated set of steps finished with a lift during the second bridge, Don Kanonji's voice came through the speakers in an appreciative tone, "Well, well, well! What do I see there to my left but two comfortable looking duckies swimming out in the pond! Keep it up duckies!"

No one knew or cared why the man had decided to call Ichigo and Rukia 'ducks' when they were actually more like swans gracefully and regally twirling around the floor, but when the song finished there was quite a bit of appreciative applause from the other students.

Don Kanonji came back over the speaker saying, "All right, all right, all right! I'm seeing you guys bust some wicked moves out there! Let's take this to the next level! What do you say? This next dance is all about endurance! Last one still dancing at the end gets an extra round of applause!"

Another line dance song started up. This time it was 'Cotton-Eyed Joe' and it was most definitely not one to underestimate. With the constant leg movement and the length of the piece, it was less than a minute before students began limping their way off the dance floor. After their previous routine, Ichigo and Rukia kept at it for about a minute and a half before they decided to join their friends Momo, Toshiro, Tatsuki and Yumichika at a table.

As they sat and watched, as the seconds ticked by more and more students trickled away until there were only about twenty left. Among them were Renji and Ikkaku. Renji kept at it for two full minutes before he finally gave out and sank down in a chair next to Ichigo and they all cheered for Ikkaku. At two minutes and thirty seconds the other seventeen students had filed off leaving only Ikkaku and another girl still dancing.

Ikkaku was not one to give up easily, but it was clear to his friends that he was struggling to keep going while the girl didn't seem to notice his distress. Actually, she seemed lost in her own world since she was only ever looking at her own feet as she bounced happily to the beat.

At the three minute mark, Ikkaku gave one final, feeble hop before putting his hands on his knees and gasping for breath. The rest of the crowd watched as the girl tirelessly continued to dance until the final 'Where did you come from Cotton-Eyed Joe?' faded from the speakers at which time everyone started to cheer.

Don Kanonji's voice came over the speakers, saying, "Well done little lady! How's about a little curtsy?"

The moment the DJ's voice boomed out, the girl seemed to snap back into reality and looked up to see that she was in fact the only person left in the middle of the dance floor. Her first reaction was to look frantically around her at all the smiling and applauding students in shock as her face turned bright red before she lowered her gaze to the floor and nervously twisted her hands. Somehow, she managed a little bounce of her knees before the girl made a hasty get-away.

"Well, well, well! How's about we slow things down a little after all that shakin' and rockin'? Listen to the smooth sailing voice of Jon McLaughlin in this next number."

As he finished talking, the opening piano notes of 'So Close' floated from the speakers indicating that this was more of a dancing couple song. So, students either came onto the dance floors in pairs or sat down and rested their feet a little longer.

The eight friends remained seated and Renji grinned at Ikkaku saying, "Too bad about that dance, eh? If only you would have been able to hold out a little longer…"

Before Ikkaku could retort, Tatsuki cut in saying, "Oh, leave off him. Orihime deserved a little time in the limelight, all though I dare say she'll be mortified for a few more hours. She might even leave early."

Ichigo turned to Tatsuki with a questioning gaze and said, "Orihime…Orihime…why does that name sound so familiar?"

Tatsuki rolled her eyes and said, "You really are hopeless."

Now it was Momo's turn to cut across Ichigo before he could begin an argument, saying, "The girl on the dance floor was Orihime Inoue and she's in our class. She transferred to our school in the middle of last year."

Yumichika went on when Ichigo and some of the others looked rather confused, "She's in our class, but she is extremely shy and almost never talks. I think she has a few people she hangs out with most of the time, however, I can think of only a handful of times when I have actually heard her speak."

If any guy wanted to know anything about any girl in Karakura High, Yumichika was the guy to ask. Not that Yumichika knew any lewd tidbits or stalked the girls, but he was simply good at collecting information. Until he could find 'the perfect girl for him', Yumichika made it his mission to get to know every girl in school.

At this new information, Ikkaku and Renji exchanged mischievous smirks before Ikkaku said smoothly, "I see. So, this girl is in our class and she hardly ever speaks, hm?"

Renji drawled on in a ponderous tone, "Hmm, I wonder if she would be too shy to dance with Ichigo?"

Everyone else at the table had stunned expressions on their faces as Ikkaku addressed Ichigo saying, "Yeah, I wonder if you could get someone as shy as Miss Orihime to dance with you, Ichigo."

Once he had recovered from the initial shock, Ichigo crossed his arms, leaned back in his chair and asked, "Why would I go and do a thing like that?"

Renji and Ikkaku exchanged another look before Renji said smoothly, "Well, as far as I know, the only person you've ever danced with is Rukia. While you two do work extremely well together, one does begin to wonder if maybe you work together too well."

Ichigo's tone became very dark as he asked slowly, "And just what is that supposed to mean?"

Ikkaku waved his hands and attempted to look innocent as he said, "Nothing much," his grin said otherwise, "We are just curious about whether or not you're able to dance with someone who is not Rukia."

Toshiro put his hands behind his head and said, "That is about the most ridiculous dare I've ever heard."

Tatsuki put in her two cents saying, "I agree with Toshiro. That dare is totally stupid."

Ichigo was about to give Tatsuki a grateful glance, when she went on saying, "It would only be a good dare if Ichigo actually had to somehow get Orihime to talk with him as they are dancing."

Yumichika even looked amused at the prospect and said, "This would certainly be interesting. It will be one thing for big, hulking Ichigo to make someone as timid as Orihime dance with him, but to actually dare him to be nice enough to her to make her talk…"

Rukia smiled as well saying, "So how about it Ichigo? Willing to see if you are a REAL gentleman who can make someone as shy as Orihime open up?"

Giving Rukia an incredulous look, Ichigo spluttered, "Are you guys serious? Do you realize that you are talking about me asking a girl to dance?"

Toshiro frowned and said, "Well, we certainly aren't telling you to ask a guy now are we?"

Turning his furious gaze on Toshiro, Ichigo snapped, "That's not what I mean and you know it! You're not daring me to jump off a school building or to run around the dance floor screaming like a maniac or any other stupid dare that would involve only me getting hurt or embarrassed. Dragging a girl like Orihime into the middle of a dare is just plain ridiculous!"

Momo folded her hands in front of her and said, "I do agree with you Ichigo in one sense, but think of it another way. Sure she may be shy, but what if you are the only person who asks her to dance the entire night? I can't think of any girl who wouldn't want to at least be asked by a guy to dance on one of the slow songs. We do get dressed up for a reason, Ichigo. We want to be noticed. At least, I know I do."

As Momo was speaking, the others looked at her with thoughtful expressions. They were silent for a time before Ichigo rubbed a hand through his hair and sighed.

"Well, when you put it that way…only let's be clear that I'm just asking her to dance. I'm not going to force her to talk with me."

And with that Ichigo stood and walked in the direction he had seen the girl known as Orihime go after she finished dancing.

It took Ichigo longer than he had anticipated to find where the girl was sitting because when he finally located her, he saw that she was sitting on one side of a big, tan and very solid looking guy. Ichigo recognized him (who wouldn't remember a guy as big as him?) even if he couldn't remember the guy's name right at the moment. On the girl's other side sat a guy with longish dark hair and glasses…rather forgettable if you asked Ichigo. If Ichigo had to guess, these two guys often sat like that in order to create a kind of buffer between Orihime and the rest of the world. Was she really that shy?

The rest of the people at the table consisted of a girl with short red hair and glasses, a rather hyper brunette and a guy who seemed to be completely obsessed with his phone.

As Ichigo was approaching the table, the hyper brunette was gesturing emphatically, probably telling some sort of story, when he noticed the tall, orange-haired teen coming their way and halted his story. The others seemed to notice the story grinding suddenly to a halt and they all looked up to see Ichigo walk around the table and make his way to Orihime's left side.

Deciding to get straight to the point, Ichigo didn't allow himself time to wonder why such a shy girl would actually look up at him as he stood next to her, and said simply, "I wanted to know if you planned on sitting out on the next dance or not."

No one said anything for the space of a few moments and Ichigo was resigning himself to go back to his own table when he saw the girl's mouth open slightly as if she were going to reply.

However, the guy sitting on her right didn't see her reaction and said in a chilly tone, "That has got to be the best example of how not to ask a girl to dance with you. Actually, rephrase that last statement. I failed to hear any inquiry in this…individual's tone and manner of speaking only demands."

Ichigo barely managed to tone down the steel in his own voice as he said, "If she doesn't like the way I'm talking to her, then she can tell me herself and I will walk away. So, would you like to dance with me or not?"

Back at the other table, Ichigo's friends had watched him leave before Renji turned to Rukia and said, "So, would you like to dance with a different partner tonight, Rukia?"

Rukia looked over at Renji, shrugged her shoulders and said, "Sure. Why not."

As Renji stood up and got ready to escort Rukia onto the dance floor, Toshiro also got up and extended his hand to Momo. Even though he didn't say anything, the question was clearly written on his face and Momo smiled and answered him just as silently.

Looking at the others, Yumichika got up and said, "Well, if most of us are finding partners for the next dance, I'd better get moving before this one ends."

That only left Ikkaku and Tatsuki sitting at the table. Simultaneously, the two martial artists looked at each other, found that the other was thinking exactly the same thing, grinned at each other and got up to follow the others to the dance floor.

As the last notes of 'So Close' came to an end, Don Kanonji's voice came over the speakers again saying, "Oh, so nice. But, my little duckies, I still see so many budding flowers sitting on the edge of the pond, so I want every guy to find himself a girl for this next number. Don't hesitate, just go and ask that girl you've been looking at all this time because you may never get another chance."

It seemed as if Don Kanonji's speech had some effect because more couples started making their way to the dance floor. When most everyone was ready, the mellow sounds of The Righteous Brothers singing 'Unchained Melody' came through the speakers and it seemed as if a kind of spell had been cast over everything. There was a far more romantic and intimate feeling in the air.

Once they reached the dance floor, Renji turned to Rukia and stood looking completely lost, but trying not to let it show. It was obvious to Rukia that Renji had not thought this whole thing through to what they would do once they reached the dance floor, so she decided to give him a nudge in the right direction. She placed her left hand on Renji's shoulder and let her right dangle meaningfully in the air and it only took a moment before understanding filled Renji's eyes. He grinned in gratitude and started shuffling his feet in time to the music and Rukia allowed him to lead the way. It definitely wasn't at all as graceful or effortless as dancing with Ichigo, but Rukia could tell that Renji was thinking the same thing and she gave him an encouraging smile which seemed to set Renji more at ease.

The next moment, Rukia noticed Toshiro and Momo shuffling slowly in circles a little to her left before she shifted her gaze over a little more to see Yumichika contentedly dancing with a girl Rukia had seen before but couldn't remember her name. Finally, Rukia spotted Ikkaku and Tatsuki and she had to really bite down on her lip in order to keep herself from busting out laughing. Her friends were both extremely strong willed and neither one wanted to relinquish their control over the dance so they looked adorably awkward (they were both polite about the whole thing and so there was no glaring, only the occasional sharp glance at the other) as they moved around the dance floor. Rukia could only hope that the couples' feet would remain intact until the end of the song.

Out of the corner of her eye, Rukia saw a familiar shade of bright orange hair slowly making its way through the crowd. Soon, Rukia could make out a more subdued tone of auburn hair following the taller person's movements. Eventually, Rukia and Renji drifted closer to Ichigo and his dance partner and Rukia was able to better take in the girl's appearance.

Her dress was simple in style and the color was a subdued shade of aquamarine that went well with her skin tone and hair color. However, Rukia's observant eye saw that the dress was either a hand-me-down or something the girl had bought at a second-hand store as some threads had been pulled loose (and someone had tried to pull them back in) and Rukia could see evidence of safety pins pulling together material at the top in order to make it fit better. The girl's hair was in a simple but rather elegant French twist which nicely accentuated the shape of her face.

As for her demeanor, the poor girl's face seemed to be a brilliant shade of red and didn't seem to be able to look much higher than her partner's chest. However, Rukia could see the girl seemed to be happy all though it was almost as if the girl was trying to make herself believe that it wasn't all a dream.

On Ichigo's part, he was a perfect gentleman trying to carefully guide his partner through different simple dance moves. The girl was not the most graceful dancer Rukia had ever seen, but when she was paired with Ichigo it really became obvious. However, the girl dutifully tried to follow Ichigo's lead and even managed a little smile when Ichigo prodded her to do a few twirls.

Finally, Rukia turned her attention back to Renji and gave him a small smile as she thought to herself, "This has been a fun night. Too bad things will go back to normal tomorrow."

However, in this case, Rukia's prediction would soon prove inaccurate.

**Author's Note:**

Ok, so I will be taking some liberties with some of the characters' personalities and I can only hope that it makes sense within the context of my story. I decided to have Orihime not be friends with Tatsuki so that I could make her so shy (for a good reason that will become more apparent later) because I do think that it was through Tatsuki's influence and protection that Orihime was able to become so confidant even before meeting Ichigo.

Also, the way this story is going is slightly different from what I had first anticipated. This is probably not going to be one of my best works, but I'm going to do my absolute best to make sure it all ties together in at least an understandable way. While I will let the story flow naturally, I am hoping it won't exceed more than a few chapters. If there is anything that does not make sense so far, please don't hesitate to ask.

Hopefully, the whole prom setting, the songs and everything else actually seemed believable because I chose songs that I have on my own iTunes and such and that I thought somewhat fit the occasion. The decorations and such I just kind of made up as I went along.

One more thing, I referred to Orihime as 'the girl' for the simple reason that at the point when Ichigo and Rukia interacted with her they were not formally introduced. That will be rectified in the next chapter, I promise.


	3. Pushing the Boundaries

Danser Por Deux: Part 3

"Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop!"

Ichigo and Rukia both jumped at the sound of that voice. A voice they knew all too well and one they most certainly had not expected to hear for at least two more days.

Turning as one towards the source of the voice, they both noticed that Nanao looked just as surprised and confused as they felt.

Standing next the CD player with hands on hips and an exasperated expression on her face, stood the celebrated Rangiku Matsumoto-Hisagi. Her husband and dance partner Shuhei stood behind his wife with a slightly amused expression on his face.

Addressing the room at large, Rangiku asked slowly, "What exactly are you all doing here?"

Rukia and Ichigo looked perplexedly at Rangiku before they simultaneously focused their eyes on each other and realizing that neither of them knew how to answer turned to Nanao only to find their substitute teacher was just as lost as they were.

Sighing inwardly, Rukia spoke in what she hoped was a confidant tone saying, "Ichigo and I are practicing our slow waltz and Nanao is coaching us."

Crossing her arms, Rangiku said briskly, "Oh, is that what you think you were doing, eh?"

Before she could stop him, Ichigo's temper flared so that he dropped his hold on Rukia in order to face Rangiku as he said, "Of course we were doing the slow waltz! What did you think you were watching? The quickstep?"

Rangiku did not look at all fazed by Ichigo's anger and instead said simply, yet in a cutting way, "If you two had actually been dancing a waltz, I wouldn't have said anything. However, what you two were doing out there just now doesn't even come close to constituting dance."

Everyone stared at Rangiku as if she had gone crazy for a few moments before she went on, "How many times have I told you two that in order to succeed you can't just focus on getting all steps correct and your technique solid?"

Rukia and Ichigo still looked completely bewildered until Rangiku sighed and said, "Just now I saw two people out there on the dance floor doing a bunch of fancy footwork with no conviction whatsoever. There was no life, no spark, no inspiration."

Shaking her head, Rangiku said, "No wonder ballroom dancing is something of a dying art these days. People care more about the competitions, the technique and even the physicality of ballroom dancing and forget completely its history and spirit."

Turning her piercing gaze upon Nanao, Rangiku demanded, "Why in the world are you having them dance to that song? Not that 'Maggie's Theme' isn't good, but apparently it hasn't been working for these two because they look about as engaged and interested as a pile of wood and a bucket of nails. We need to actually build something tremendous out of all the technique they've acquired over the years, not just stockpile more of it."

Nanao nodded in understanding and said, "I'm sorry ma'am."

Rolling her eyes, Rangiku snapped, "Don't call me 'ma'am'. How many times do I have to tell you?"

Not waiting for a reply, Rangiku rounded on her husband and said, "Would you get me that CD by Andre Rieu?"

Shuhei nodded and went to go find the required CD as Rangiku made her way towards Ichigo and Rukia saying, "I'm going to try a different approach with you two. In order to see just how well you can both work together as a dancing duo, I'm going to split you up and then put you back together and see what happens."

They both stared at Rangiku for several seconds before Rukia looked up at Ichigo to make sure he was just as flummoxed and wary as she was about what was coming.

Seeing both her students so stunned seemed to give Rangiku great satisfaction as she explained, "While Shuhei stays in here and allows Ichigo to listen to the song you two will be dancing to so that he can begin to figure out what steps, lifts and other moves he might want to use as well as explain how to dance the slow waltz in a 'smooth' style, Rukia will come with me and we will discuss the underlying messages and drama that can be utilized in the song to make the dance more interesting to watch.

"As I said before, technique in and of itself is not a bad thing, but if technique is all you rely on in order to excel in the dancing world then you have completely missed the purpose and meaning of dance. You need to delve deeper into the soul of dance and all of the other supporting art forms such as music and acting that go along with dance in order to be truly great in this field."

Looking at Ichigo and Rukia pointedly, Rangiku said, "Now, I won't force either of you to take part in this little…experiment of mine. You have the option to simply keep working on the routine you were just doing and forget I said anything. Is that what you want?"

Rukia turned her attention back to Ichigo and they held a completely nonverbal conversation for the space of about 15 seconds. Afterwards, they simultaneously looked at Rangiku and shook their heads in answer to her question.

A small smile played at the corners of her mouth as she said, "All right then. For this experiment then, I expect you both to follow my instructions to the letter with no questions asked. Are we clear?"

Speaking in unison, Ichigo and Rukia said, "Crystal clear, Ms. Rangiku."

Nodding appreciatively, Rangiku said, "Ok. I've already told you how this is going to work, so let's get started."

Turning and walking out of the room, Rangiku said to her husband as she passed by him, "Track 5, I believe."

Rangiku led Rukia down the hall a ways before turning into another dance studio and closing the door behind them. She then walked and sat down on the floor in the middle of the room and motioned for Rukia to sit down next to her.

Rukia obeyed and then Rangiku began by asking, "What do you know about Shakespeare and his play Romeo and Juliet?"

Out of all the topics she might have expected to come up, Rukia had certainly not been expected to discuss those two, but she quickly recovered herself and replied, "William Shakespeare was a playwright during Queen Elizabeth I's reign, but was also famous for his sonnets. Romeo and Juliet are the title characters in a play he wrote about two feuding families whose only children fell in love, eloped and tried to run away together but through a series of unfortunate events wound up taking their own lives."

For a few moments, Rangiku said nothing. Then she closed her eyes and massaged the corners of her eyes as she said, "This might be harder than I thought."

Rukia blinked and asked, "Was my information incorrect?"

Rangiku whipped her head up and stared at Rukia before she threw back her head and laughed long and loud. Feeling completely lost at sea, Rukia could only look at her dance teacher and mentor in confusion and waited quietly for her to recompose herself.

Managed to talk around some remaining chuckles, Rangiku said, "I'm sorry, Rukia. Your answer was completely accurate, but not quite what I was looking for. Just like in your dancing, it seems as though you are more concerned with the facts of the play rather than its heart and deeper meaning. So while you technically gave me the correct answer, it was not complete."

"What do you mean?"

Rangiku took a deep breath before she answered Rukia's question with, "You recited the entire plot of Romeo and Juliet within a single sentence, but I want to explore what that play is really about. It is about two young teenagers who fall so completely and utterly in love that they are willing to risk the wrath of their families to get married and when they believe that the other has passed on to the next life, they decide to follow without hesitation.

"Just think of the kind of devotion that requires. Think of the complete despair that would have to overwhelm the heart and soul to drive such young, lively and hopeful teenagers to take their own lives. Teenagers who would be about your and Ichigo's age."

At this last comment, Rukia said quickly, "But Juliet was only just thirteen according to the play."

Rangiku rolled her eyes and replied, "Number one, I said around your age, I didn't say exactly. And two, because she was younger than you, that makes the reality that she felt life held no more meaning all the more powerful."

Giving Rukia a piercing look, Rangiku asked, "So, have you ever had a time when you felt life was no longer relevant? That it no longer held any meaning?"

At first, Rukia had no idea how to react. Her teacher had just asked if Rukia had ever considered suicide. While there had been times when she had wondered if Byakuya might be better off without her in his life, it was only contemplating running away, certainly not taking her own life. That was far too drastic a decision for anyone to make, in her opinion.

Then she thought, 'Is that what Rangiku wants me to comprehend? That they were young and made dramatic and drastic choices? '

Out loud, Rukia said, "I think I see a little, but I don't really understand what this conversation has to do with Ichigo and my dancing skills. Having an in depth discussion about two fictional characters who are emotional enough to convince themselves that life holds no more meaning doesn't really seem to affect how well I dance as far as I know."

Turning her entire body so that she was facing Rukia, Rangiku said firmly, "That's exactly my point Rukia. That's exactly what I'm trying to impress upon you right now. You worry only about the technique and not the soul of dance performance."

Giving her a small smile, Rangiku continued, "The reason we are having this in depth discussion about Romeo and Juliet is because the piece I have chosen for you and Ichigo to dance to is from a movie based on that very play. I am trying to take you inside the head and soul of Romeo and Juliet because those are basically the two characters you and Ichigo are going to have to take on."

Leaning a little closer, she said seriously, "You have to make me and the rest of your audience believe that you and Ichigo are star-crossed lovers, so desperately in love that life without the other was unthinkable."

At these words, Rukia once again was struck dumb for a time as she contemplated the full meaning of Rangiku's statement. Then she asked the first question that came to mind.

"In order to make people believe that I love Ichigo that much, don't I actually have to love him?"

Now, it was Rangiku's turn to blink before she asked, "I hope you don't mind me answering your question with a question, but what makes you think that you have to literally be madly in love with Ichigo in order for us to believe it?"

Rukia looked down and said, "Well, you and Shuhei are dance partners but you are also married so I'm sure you've done something like this before. There are also other professional dancing couples who are married and so would easily be able to convince their audiences that they were in love because they really are. I've heard that the best performers are usually people who have experienced the same kinds of things as their characters and so can portray the emotions accurately."

Rangiku looked thoughtful as she said, "That is true. Shuhei and I were dance partners long before we got married, but one thing you have to remember is that while there are couples in every form of art who are married and work together wonderfully, there are still loads of others who are not."

Taking in a long breath, she went on, "I've not told many people this story before, but when I was in high school I was in a relationship with a young man who I very much wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Shuhei has been my dance partner ever since I began in middle school, but I fell in love with another boy named Gin Ichimaru.

"Gin and I grew up together and he was always something of a clown. He knew how to make me laugh no matter what mood I was in. He wasn't always the most romantic person, but he never forgot my birthday or any anniversaries that were important to me like the first time he asked me out or the day I won my first competition in dance with Shuhei. Shuhei, Gin and I all graduated together and the two boys knew each other through me since Gin would almost always come to the dance competitions Shuhei and I entered."

Pausing again, Rangiku went on in a slightly less steady voice, "About a month after we graduated, Gin was walking home with me after my dance lessons when we were approached by a group of tough looking kids our own age. At first, Gin ignored them but then when they kept following us, making rude comments about me especially and finally started trying to grab my arm, Gin turned around and knocked one of them flat. Then he grabbed my arm and started running as fast as he could away from those thugs."

Wiping furiously at her eyes, Rangiku said, "I was so stupid not to notice or question when he suddenly stumbled and quickly righted himself as I ran after him, but we had gone several blocks before he would stop for breath. That's when I saw the knife protruding from his back. Long story short…he only lasted about five more minutes."

It wasn't until Rangiku reached over to wipe her thumb under Rukia's eyes that the girl even knew she was crying.

"For the next month, I could barely summon enough energy to go into the kitchen to feed myself let alone go to dance class. There were days when I was so lonely and depressed from the loss of Gin that I began to think to myself that the rest of the world would barely notice my absence."

Rukia put a hand over her mouth to cover the small gasp of shock as Rangiku continued, "I probably would have done it too if Shuhei hadn't have come over day after day just to see if there was anything he could do. Shuhei wouldn't ask me if he could do anything for me, he would just come into my small apartment and get done whatever needed to be done from dishes to laundry to buying groceries to straightening up. He sometimes would only say 'Hello' and 'Good-bye' because he knew that I was in no mood to talk or to listen.

"Then exactly one month after Gin's death, Shuhei came to my apartment and did his usual cleaning up and was about to leave when he turned and said something I've never forgotten. 'Gin loved you enough to give up his own life in order to make sure you came to no harm at the hands of others. How would he feel if he could see how you are hurting yourself far more than those thugs would have? He died to protect your life and here you are slowly killing yourself.' Then he left."

Giving Rukia a small smile, Rangiku said, "So what I'm trying to tell you is this Rukia. Gin was the man I would have married had he not died and Shuhei would have just been my dance partner. As it turns out, Shuhei managed to win my heart over after years of patient waiting and devotion. There will always be one small part of my heart that remembers Gin, but Shuhei knows that and understands.

"For you and Ichigo, it may be that through your dancing you will fall in love and make a life together or it may be that you both find someone else to love outside the world of dance. However, even if that happens that doesn't mean your connection as partners will lessen. In some way, it may make it stronger. Only time will tell."

Wiping away the last traces of tears, Rangiku finished with, "What I'm asking you to do, Rukia, is to pretend to be Juliet. Make believe that Ichigo is the one man you cannot live without. Remember how you felt as I was telling you about Gin. Try and put yourself in my place and imagine how you would react. That is part of what acting is. Then try to convey those feelings to your audience."

Standing up and reaching out a hand in order to help Rukia up, Rangiku said, "You and Ichigo have a strong connection to one another. I've seen it. Now, whether it is romantic or not, I can't tell you, but I do know that it is powerful, so trust him. He has been coming up with a dance routine while we have been in here and you will have to follow him. However, I am giving you permission to remember the characters and emotions we've talked about here and to add elements to the dance he might not have considered. Let the music be your guide there. That's all I will say."

As they walked back to the studio, Rukia had a bit of an internal struggle. Her usual reaction would be to bury all the emotions she had just experienced in the room with Rangiku and put a professional face on before getting down to business. However, Rangiku had told her to do just the opposite: to allow all those emotions of bone-deep regret and sorrow to actually show on her face. To feel those things so strongly that anyone who saw her and Ichigo dancing would believe that she was Juliet deeply and hopelessly in love with Romeo.

When they walked in, both Shuhei and Ichigo turned to look and Shuhei quickly turned off the CD player, but not before Rukia heard a few melancholy notes from an oboe play.

Ichigo spoke first, and he was scowling as he asked, "What happened?"

Rukia walked over to stand next to Ichigo and said dismissively, "We went to discuss the background of the piece we're going to be dancing too."

Ichigo's scowl deepened as he said, "Looks like you two were talking about more than just that."

Frowning in confusion, Rukia asked, "What makes you say that?"

Without saying another word, Ichigo crooked his index finger and gently swiped it under Rukia's left eye and pulled it back to show her the little bit of moisture that clung to it. A light heat crept up Rukia's neck as she realized that both she and Rangiku must still show signs of having cried earlier.

However, she tried to act nonchalant as she said, "Oh, that's nothing for you to worry about. Your routine had better be good after that whole telling-off she gave us earlier."

Giving her an irritated look, Ichigo retorted, "As long as you follow my lead, we'll be fine."

Before either could say any more, Rangiku clapped her hands and said, "So, now we're going to put together what you both have been working on. Rukia, just so you know, you and Ichigo are going to be dancing in a 'smooth' waltz style. That means that you won't always have to hold your frame like in normal ballroom dancing. You can have separated movements."

Walking over the CD player, Rangiku pushed the button and said, "Let's see what you guys can really do."

The first sounds Rukia heard came from a piano playing a slow, lilting introduction before a violin came in playing a wistful melody full of longing. During this period, Ichigo began with a slow twirl before pulling Rukia to him and then executing the traditional waltz steps only in a halting fashion because the music would pause on every third beat before moving on to the down beat. Then as the violin melody repeated, he twirled her again but this time after two sets of waltz figures, Ichigo prompted Rukia to twirl again and extend out so that they could turn in a circle, then he pulled her in to him and lowered her into a slow dip.

After he pulled her up from the dip, Rukia heard the melody change slightly to sound more urgent. They would take a step before he would twirl her two times and then repeat for the entire second melody.

Then they arrived back at the first melody and while the basics remained the same, Ichigo did add some variations to go along with the slight change in the melody. Now Ichigo did more intricate arm movements and twists while still executing the basic waltz motion. At the end, Ichigo prompted Rukia to use his arm as support in order to lower herself into a dip and extend her leg upwards before they moved on.

When Rukia heard the oboe come in with the melody, she began to consider how she was going to incorporate all that she and Rangiku had discussed earlier. With the oboe taking over the original melody, it had taken on a more sorrowful tone almost pleading.

Looking up at Ichigo, Rukia tried to picture him as the Romeo to her Juliet. Here in this moment as the oboe played its reminiscent tune and as she followed his lead, it was a little hard for her to lose herself in the moment and let the music as well as the feelings she had discussed with Rangiku free her from her normal complacency, but it was less difficult than she had first imagined.

Prompted by the sound of longing from the oboe, Rukia looked up at Ichigo with what she hoped was an expression of longing. Apparently, she did it correctly because Ichigo's first reaction was to blink in surprise and mess up his footwork momentarily. He quickly recovered himself and gave Rukia a look that basically asked, 'What are you doing?'

In response, Rukia mouthed the words, 'We're Romeo and Juliet.'

Understanding flooded Ichigo's face and he gave a slight nod as they continued to dance.

After the oboe ended, the violin returned with its urgent melody before the entire orchestra joined in. By the sound of it, Rukia could tell that they were nearing the end as it had taken on a whole new tone of yearning. As soon as she heard that, a sudden thought occurred to her and instead of going with the traditional hold Rukia decided to reach her left hand as far around Ichigo's neck as she could reach while extending her right arm out to the side. Ichigo's response was to pull her closer to his body so that they could perform their steps in smaller circles thus giving their movements a little more speed.

Then as the melody repeated, Ichigo prompted Rukia to lower her arm so that it was around his waist and he did the same to her and they made wide circles around the floor. Suddenly, Rukia heard the orchestra slow down the tempo drastically and she felt Ichigo pull her towards him so that he could lift her. This was different than their normal lifts as her back was to him. At first she had no idea what to do, but then Rukia thought she knew where Ichigo was going with this. So she allowed her arms and head to look limp while she slightly bent her right leg. Sure enough as the violin finished out the song, Ichigo slowly lowered her down and the moment her feet touched the floor, Ichigo moved in such a way as to lower them both onto the floor. Rukia allowed her head to rest against Ichigo's chest as they pretended to be the star-crossed lovers united in death.

The sound of footsteps broke the kind of spell that had been cast in the wake of Ichigo and Rukia's performance. Both dancers opened their eyes to see Rangiku crossed over to the CD player in order to hit stop on the recording.

Then turning to face her students, Rangiku said, "That is what dance is really about. I'll see you both tomorrow."

About twenty minutes later, Ichigo and Rukia were making their way home. They were both tired after that arduous lesson, but they were quite satisfied with the work they had accomplished. Rangiku had taken them to a whole new level of dancing and were rather excited to see what they would accomplish in their next lesson.

As they were making their way home, something caught Rukia's attention and she looked across the street to see the shy girl, Orihime, purchasing what looked like a small bunch of flowers.

Ever since the prom over a week ago, Rukia had started paying more attention to the shy girl and her friends. Rukia also knew that Ichigo and the others were beginning to notice the group of six as well. Momo and Tatsuki had chatted a little with Orihime and her friends. Rukia had also tried to get to know her a little as well and while the girl didn't seem to mind the attention, it was normally her more talkative friends like Chizuru and Keigo who would carry on conversations with Rukia.

All of a sudden, Rukia felt a heavy hand land on her shoulder so that she jumped and gave a small cry of alarm. Ichigo also spun around at the sound of Rukia's cry before he rolled his eyes in annoyance.

When Rukia realized who it was, it was all she could do to control herself from kicking and hitting every part of her 'attacker' that she could reach as she cried, "You big jerk! What was that for?"

Renji's response was to grin widely and say, "Just saying hello Rukia. Momo and I just finished working on some projects for the school's art fair and thought we would meet up with you guys after your dance lesson."

Giving in to the temptation to punch him hard in the ribcage, Rukia ground out, "Next time, try approaching us from the front and saying 'Hello' rather than sneaking up from behind!"

Before anyone could say anything, Momo asked, "Hey, is that Orihime over there? Who are those people with her?"

Rukia looked back across the street to see that Orihime was standing a short ways away from the flower stand as if she had been walking a ways, but now there was a group of six students around their own age who were gathering around her. However, it was the expression on Orihime's face that captured Rukia's attention. Even from this distance, Rukia could see that the girl looked absolutely petrified about something. What was going on over there?

Ichigo was the first to react as he scowled and said, "I don't know who those people are, but something's not right."

No one had to be told that Ichigo was going to go over there to figure out what was going on and no one had to be asked to come along. They all knew Orihime needed help and they were going to help her.

**Author's Note:**

All right, this is the absolute longest time I ever hope I take in updating a story. This was absolutely ridiculous and I apologize from the bottom of my heart for how long you have been waiting patiently for this chapter.

Personally, there were times when I half considered just deleting this entire story and pretending it never existed, but 1) that wouldn't be fair to all of you who have been so supportive of me and have expressed interest in seeing where this story goes and 2) there really is a part of me that wanted to see it finished and didn't like the idea of just giving up.

However, I am pretty sure this will not be my best work, especially with how things are shaping up at the end of this chapter, but I basically only want to spend about two more chapters on this before I move on to other things.

Anyway, if you have any questions or suggestions or anything like that, please feel free to let me know!

Thank you all for your continued support! I wouldn't be the writer I am without you guys! This story was never intended to last very long, so I really hope things are making sense.


	4. Forging New Bonds

Danser Pour Deux: Part 4

Seconds before the group reached their destination, Rukia began to have second thoughts about the whole thing. There was no doubt in her mind that Orihime was in need of help and Rukia was determined to help Orihime in whatever way necessary. However, the fact that Ichigo had no filter whatsoever from what was generated in his brain and then syphoned out of his mouth was bound to have a negative effect on their efforts to help the girl. In an attempt to keep such trouble at bay, Rukia opened her mouth to say something first, but just as she had feared, Ichigo beat her to it.

"Hey! Who are you guys and why are you bothering Orihime?"

A tall boy with jet black hair and shockingly bright blue highlights turned around at Ichigo's outburst. Upon seeing Ichigo's scowl, the boy's face light up in a wide grin that made Rukia's heart stop for a moment in fear.

"I could also ask who you guys are and what's it to you if we're talking to Oddball Orihime here?"

At those words, Ichigo hesitated for a few moments with a blank expression on his face before his scowl returned once again and he ground out, "Take that back."

The boy laughed derisively and spoke to his companions saying, "Oh look. It seems the Oddball has gotten herself a boyfriend."

A girl with long, dark hair pulled into two pigtails turned to Orihime with a sneer and said, "That must be why you transferred then, isn't it Oddball? None of the guys at Hueco Academy would dare to ask you out with your history, so you went somewhere new where nobody knew a thing about you."

From where Rukia was standing, she couldn't make out the frightened girl's words, but from Orihime's tears and insistent head shaking, it was quite clear that she was denying the sneering girl's accusations.

To everyone's surprise, it was Momo who stepped forward next and spoke to the group.

"My name is Momo Hinamori and these are my friends. We do happen to know Orihime from school and it looks as if you all went to school with her as well. It was nice to meet you all and maybe we can get to know each other better some other time, but right now I think Orihime is on her way somewhere. Isn't that right?"

At Momo's words, while Rukia could tell the girl had obviously meant to try and diffuse the explosive situation, Momo had evidently said something that made matters worse. Rukia knew because Orihime turned to look at Momo with a look of surprise that was replaced by fear and pleading, but the damage seemed to be done since the girl with pigtails looked from the flowers clutched in Orihime's hands to the other female standing next to her who had short, unruly blonde hair and dark green eyes.

To her friend, the pigtail girl smiled and said, "That's right. Today would be the anniversary, wouldn't it Menoly?"

The girl named Menoly nodded and mirrored the girl's smile as she responded, "You're right, Loly. Today is June 5 and it would be four years to the day since it happened."

Whatever was going on and whatever those girls were referring to, it was completely obvious to Rukia that they were saying those things to drive some knife buried deep in Orihime's heart even deeper. Seeing tears well up in the girl's ash gray eyes and slowly spill over as the girls named Loly and Menoly kept talking and smiling at Orihime with looks that expressed that they knew exactly what they were doing and were enjoying every minute of it, made Rukia's own blood begin to boil over. Rukia also didn't have to look at Ichigo to know that he was feeling the exact same way as her, but he was glowering in the blue-haired boy's direction since his grin had only increased in size and understanding as he heard what Menoly and Loly were talking about.

As one, both Rukia and Ichigo moved forward to create a human shield in front of the petrified girl.

Rukia spoke first to the girls saying, "I don't know what you two are referring to and I don't really care."

Ichigo picked up the next sentence and directed at the grinning boy, "You'd better wipe that smirk off your face right now before I pound it off."

Together they said, "Orihime is our friend and we are not going to stand by and watch you hurt her like this."

The blue-haired boy grinned even more as he clenched his fists and said, "Hope you can give me more of a workout than I've gotten lately," and then lunged in Ichigo's direction to which Ichigo responded in kind.

Meanwhile, Rukia, Menoly and Loly were having a sort of stare-down contest before Loly spoke first saying, "I wouldn't be too quick to call yourself Orihime's friend because you have no idea the kinds of things that happen to people she professes to care about."

Out of all the things Rukia had expected to hear, it had not been that, so she automatically blinked and asked, "What are you talking about?"

Loly grinned saying, "Four years ago today, Orihime's older brother was killed in a horrible car crash. He was almost old enough to be her father and he had raised her since she was small, so you would think that she would be more grateful to him."

Turning her gaze upon Orihime, Loly continued, "But about three months after it happened, I overheard Orihime crying in the bathroom and moaning about how her brother's death was all her fault, that she had killed him."

Before Rukia could say anything, Menoly spoke up, "Then about two years ago, a girl at our school named Nel became really good friends with Orihime and the two were inseparable for the whole school year. One day, though, the two were walking home alone and no one saw what happened, but we heard the next day that Nel had somehow hit her head really hard and was put in a coma. When she finally woke up, her brain had been damaged and she thought she was a little girl again so she couldn't tell the police what had happened that day."

Loly nodded and was about to say something else when Rukia held up her hand and said, "That's enough."

Loly spluttered in indignation and surprise for a moment before Rukia continued, "I seriously don't understand what you all have against Orihime, but I've heard all I need to hear."

Menoly began saying, "Didn't you hear us? We told you-"

"Oh, so you're just looking out for my well-being, is that it? The only thing you two are trying to do right now is make sure that Orihime here doesn't manage to hurt me like she did her brother and Nel, am I right?"

When the two girls looked at Rukia with stunned and rather lost expressions, she continued, "If I actually believed that Orihime was truly responsible for those incidents I might bother to thank you for the warning, but since I don't think any of your accusations can begin to hold water I won't waste my breath."

Before Loly or Menoly could respond, Rukia whirled to face Orihime and said in a stern tone, "You need to tell these girls the truth about your brother and Nel right now."

Orihime's tear-filled eyes widened even more as she stared back at Rukia before she managed to rasp out, "But they were both hurt because of me. I-"

Rukia's look and tone became more steely as she said, "There is no way on the face of this earth you could possibly have inflicted pain your brother or your friend like that since it sounds to me like you loved them more than anyone else in the world. It's not who you are. I've only gotten to know you for a little while and I already know that you are a giving and kind person. However, you were bullied by your old classmates and so now you hide behind Chad and Uryu so that you have a wall between you and the world."

When Rukia would think back on what she was saying right now, she would have no idea where the words had come from, but as she spoke Rukia had known that each and every one was true and needed to be said at that moment.

Gripping Orihime's arm with one of her hands, Rukia said, "If you don't stand up for yourself right now, it will only get harder from now on. Tell them what really happened."

At Rukia's words, Orihime's eyes dropped a few more tears before she turned her attention to her tormentors and said quietly, "I thought my brother's accident was my fault because we had had an argument before he left for work that day. I had never been so upset before in my life, but at school that day I wanted to apologize to him when I got home. Then I was told that he was in the hospital and I don't know if he heard me tell him how very sorry I was as I sat next to him in his room before he passed away."

Swallowing quickly Orihime finished with, "Nel and I were walking home and I turned to look at something she pointed out to me in the sky and didn't notice when she lost her footing. I didn't turn around fast enough to stop her from falling down the hill and hitting her head on that rock. I managed to call the ambulance somehow as I stayed with her."

After she was finished, Orihime turned her attention back to Rukia and said with more tears spilling from her eyes, "I know in my heart that Sora and Nel's accidents weren't my fault, but sometimes my head doesn't believe me."

Before Rukia could respond, there was the sudden sound of hurried footsteps, a grunt of pain and then Loly's angry voice calling out, "Let me go!"

Turning around, Rukia saw Renji trying to restrain Loly from getting at both her and Orihime. Apparently the girl had charged to attack, but Rukia didn't know if she was trying to get at her or Orihime or both of them.

Renji fought with Loly and managed to grind out, "Don't make me hurt you! I was raised never to hurt girls, but I won't let you attack Rukia especially when her back is turned!"

With his own hands occupied and his attention on the struggling female, Renji didn't see Menoly beginning to charge, but she was stopped when Momo ran at her and performed some sort of judo move to restrain the tough looking blonde girl.

Rukia was beginning to think that things were going to get really ugly really fast as she noticed Ichigo and the blue-haired boy still fighting and the other three companions beginning to look like they were ready to join in. Her heart sank as she thought about how outnumbered they were until she heard and saw a familiar car screech to a halt next to the sidewalk. The door opened and her blood stopped as she saw Byakuya step out with an unreadable expression on his face.

"That's enough."

The words were not loud and did not carry any emotion such as anger or fury, but the absolute authority resonating from the words made everyone stop what they were doing instantly.

Looking around, Byakuya's eyes eventually stopped when they found Rukia's own and he asked blandly, "Rukia, are you all right?"

Rukia nodded and said quickly, "Yes, Brother. I am all right."

Turning his attention away from Rukia again, Byakuya surveyed the rest of the gathering for about the space of half a minute with a cool expression on his face. Surprisingly, no one moved in that time and seemed to be waiting with bated breath to see what this man was going to do next.

Addressing Loly, Menoly and their companions, Byakuya said in a clipped tone, "I don't know exactly what is going on right now and frankly I really don't care. You have two minutes to clear this area and forget whatever quarrel you might have with these other students. Do so, and I will also forget this incident ever occurred."

When it looked like some of them were going to protest, Byakuya cut them off with more ice in his tone as he said, "If I ever hear that any one of you have so much as approached either Rukia or any of her friends ever again, I will personally make sure that you are all charged with as many criminal actions as I can possibly find and I will do my best to see that you are found guilty of each one. Do I make myself clear?"

Two minutes later, only the blue-haired boy had showed any signs of being reluctant to follow Byakuya's orders as he glared at Ichigo. It was clear that the boy wanted to continue their fight until one of them came out the victor, but for whatever reason, he decided to trudge along after his companions until they were all out of sight.

After the other students' retreat, Byakuya said briskly, "Rukia, I would like for you, Momo and your other friend to come along with me in the car. Ichigo can come too since he looks rather the worse for wear, but he mustn't get any blood on the upholstery."

At these words, Renji looked stunned and protested, "What about me?"

Giving Renji a searching look, Byakuya said, "I am taking Rukia and the others home, but I would like for you to come up to my office. We have some important matters to discuss."

For some reason, Renji seemed to understand Byakuya's cryptic words. Rukia was even more surprised when Ichigo nudged his friend as he walked by and said something she just barely managed to make out.

"Good luck Renji. You're gonna need it."

"Where'd I put that brush? I need to finish putting on my foundation!"

"Just chill out, would you? It's got to be around here somewhere."

"The performance is going to start in less than fifteen minutes, I'm only halfway through getting myself ready and now I'm trying to find one brush in this sea of make-up and brushes!"

"Is this yours Rukia?"

Rukia turned around to see Orihime standing behind her and holding out the exact brush she had been hunting for. Giving Orihime a quick grateful look, Rukia turned back to the mirror as she asked where Orihime had managed to find it to which the reply was that it had been on the floor.

It was now November and so much had happened in the months since June. First, apparently Byakuya had wanted to talk to Renji about his wanting to ask Rukia to go out with him. After being interrogated for about an hour or so, Byakuya had finally given Renji his consent. Renji had asked her out that same weekend.

Second, Rukia and Orihime had become closer friends than anyone could have anticipated. The two girls couldn't have been more different in personality and looks, but that didn't matter to them. They understood each other and were there to support each other for different things. It had been through Rukia's discovery and insistence that Orihime had tried out to perform in their class production and had landed the singing part with flying colors. In a matter of months, Orihime had gone from being shy and hard to talk with to being friendly and open with everyone. And it was all due to Rukia's friendship and support.

Lastly, Orihime had taken Rukia to meet her friend Nel. While girl who was seventeen still thought she was only about seven, Rukia had enjoyed getting to know her. She was always cheerful with a smile on her face and looked on the bright side of life. Rukia could definitely see now how she and Orihime could have become such close friends.

Tonight, Rukia and her entire class were putting on a performance for their late Fall Festival. She and Ichigo had volunteered to come up with a dance, Orihime had gotten the main singing part, Toshiro and Chad would be playing guitar and piano for the accompaniment, Uryu and Yumichika had worked together to create the costumes, Renji and Momo had been a part of the prop and scene design team, Ikkaku and Tatsuki were part of the backstage crew, while Orihime's friends Keigo and Chizuru helped with make-up and finally Mizuiro had been unanimously chosen to direct the whole thing.

When next Rukia took stock of her surroundings, she realized that she was standing next to Ichigo and waiting for the curtain to rise.

For a moment, Rukia thought back to what Rangiku had told her several months ago about dance being a form of expression. That in order to truly be considered a dancer somehow Rukia had to communicate with her audience some thought, idea or emotion through her dance. Tonight would be the first time Rukia would try to make an entire auditorium think and feel with her. She only hoped she could remember all the other things Rangiku had taught her in the past few weeks for this routine.

However, as the curtains began to rise and then the music began, Rukia felt all pressure rise from her shoulders. She was not doing this alone. Her friends were going to be there to help her.

Chad began playing the opening guitar melody for the song 'Broken Wing' while Toshiro lead the rest of the band on the piano as they played the accompaniment for about fifteen seconds before Orihime began singing.

"She loved him like he was the last man on earth. Gave him everything she ever had."

During these phrases, Ichigo came onstage with Rukia following right behind before she clasped his hand and tried to bring his attention back to her. When his attention was on Rukia, she began to try and encourage him to dance with her, the expression on her face sad yet hopeful. However, Ichigo's face showed disinterest and he shook his head to express his answer.

"He'd break her spirit down then come loving up on her. Give a little then take it back."

At this point, Ichigo yanked his hand out of Rukia grasp so that she stumbled and fell towards the floor gracefully. Just before she connected with the floor, Ichigo's firm hands caught her around the waist and lifted her back on her feet. He then pulled her towards his chest, patted her head affectionately, but just as her eyes began to shine with happiness and Rukia reached up to clasp his face Ichigo pulled himself away.

"She'd tell him 'bout her dreams, he'd just shoot 'em down. Lord, he loved to make her cry."

As Ichigo tucked his hands in his pockets and walked away from her, Rukia ran lightly to catch up with him and pass him so that she was blocking his path. With a small smile on her face, Rukia raised her arms to shoulder level and slowly moved them in a up and down in a flying motion as she turned in a circle on her toes (Rangiku had asked Rukia to brush up on her ballet skills as she thought it would really enhance the story in the dance). Ichigo's response was to smirk and shake his head before he turned and walked away again.

"'You're crazy for believin' you'll ever leave the ground.' He said only angels know how to fly."

Turning again to look at Rukia, Ichigo smirked again, shook his head and waved his arms rather like a baseball umpire calling someone out, but communicating to Rukia and the audience that he didn't think Rukia could accomplish her dream. After he did that, Ichigo walked back over to Rukia as she slowly lowered her arms and heels back to the floor in a dejected manner.

"And with a broken wing, she still sings. She keeps an eye on the sky."

When Ichigo made it back to Rukia's side, he lifted his hand as though to place it on her shoulder, but instead walked past her and off-stage again. For a moment, Rukia's face looked pained, but then she closed her eyes and rose back on her toes and lifted her arms again. She then looked upwards towards the ceiling.

"With a broken wing, she carries her dreams. Man, you outta see her fly."

As Orihime sang those words, Rukia twirled and performed a few petit jete's across the stage in time to the music and then when the instruments carried on into the bridge portion. Rukia stopped, looked in the direction Ichigo had left for a few moments looking indecisive before her eyes took on a determined expression and she hurried off-stage.

"One Sunday morning, she didn't go to church. He wondered why she didn't leave."

As Orihime sang these words, Ichigo slowly made his way on-stage, stretching and looking unconcerned. Looking behind him, Ichigo seemed to be at a loss for a moment as to why Rukia was not there beside him and looked around rather bewildered.

"He went up to the bedroom, found a note by the window with the curtains blowing in the breeze."

Walking quickly from one end of the stage to the other, Ichigo finally noticed a piece of paper (which had been surreptitiously placed there by Ikkaku while Rukia had been dancing), picked it up, read it and then with a startled look turned and ran off the stage.

"And with a broken wing, she still sings. She keeps an eye on the sky."

The moment Ichigo left the stage, Rukia burst out from behind the back curtain in a gorgeous dancing dress made of white. Before she had been wearing dress that had not been nearly as flattering and gray in color, but as Ichigo had been on-stage, Uryu and Yumichika had quickly helped her to change costumes. Now, she looked positively radiant.

"With a broken wing, she carries her dreams. Man, you outta see her fly."

As Orihime sang, Rukia twirled and danced with a brilliant smile on her face.

"With a broken wing, she carries her dreams. Man, you outta see her…"

When Orihime repeated the phrase, Rukia raised herself on point and tried to keep herself as still as possible. She had positioned herself in front of the curtain to allow Tatsuki to connect a line to a cleverly concealed hook on the back of her costume.

"You're good," Tatsuki whispered.

And then came Rukia's cue as Orihime sang her final note.

"Fly."

With a few running steps that took her to the edge of the stage, Rukia launched herself off as if she were trying to jump into the audience. She heard a few people gasp and one woman almost scream before Rukia felt the line go taut and lift her up into the air.

Rukia swung back and forth a few times, but she was confident in the rigging Ikkaku and Tatsuki had come up with to lift her, so she raised her arms above her head and made a flying motion. With her legs and toes pointing towards the floor, she almost did look like an angel making her ascent towards heaven with the lights illuminating her and the music supporting the mood.

The next moment, the lights were dimmed and the curtains shut. And after a few moments stunned and awed silence, the audience roared with approval.

As soon as Rukia touched back to earth, she felt herself being scooped up into a tight hug.

"Oh Rukia! You were perfect! I've never seen anyone dance as beautifully as you!"

Rukia smiled at Orihime and returned her hug saying, "Your singing was lovely, Orihime. I'm sure your brother was smiling down on you."

Pulling back, Orihime blushed slightly before she said, "Nel was able to come. I can't wait to see her! Was your brother able to make it?"

Her smile becoming a little bigger even as her cheeks flushed with joy, Rukia said, "I saw him sitting in the fourth row."

Clapping her hands, Orihime said, "Oh, he'll be so proud of you! And then both he and Renji will give you flowers!"

Rukia felt an arm encircle her shoulders as Renji's voice replied, "Yep, got the flowers covered and dinner if your brother will let us go out afterwards."

Giving Renji a smile, Rukia replied, "That sounds like fun."

"Good job, Rukia."

Rukia turned to exchange an understanding look with her long-time dance partner. Neither felt the need to say any more after that since they understood what the other was thinking at that point.

When Byakuya and Hisana had taken Rukia home to become a part of their family, that had been a major change in her life. Her first love of dance had come through Kaien and Miyako's encouragement. Rukia's life had never been the same since the day Rangiku forced her to become partners with Ichigo. Her life had also taken another unexpected turn the day she had helped Orihime stand up for herself. Then the day when Renji had come up to her and told her that he wanted to go out with her since he had started to fall in love with her a while ago, Rukia was hard pressed to think of a time when she had been happier.

So many people had become a part of her life and each held a special place in her heart.

As everyone lined up to take their bows, Rukia thanked Heaven that a person's life didn't just have to be a dance for one or two.

**Author's Note:**

I know I said in the beginning to some of you that I would somehow work Renruki and Ichihime into the story, but with the way things turned out, it really only made sense to do it like this. I struggled and banged my head against a figurative wall for a long time trying to make it work, but I just didn't see how I could add in Ichihime without pulling the story away from Rukia again and in this story she is the main character. To me, it sounded rather lame to just write about how Ichigo and Orihime started going out after that fight without getting into details (which is what I really wanted to do), so I just decided to leave it alone.

On the other hand, Renji protecting Rukia and focusing on her safety did show how much he cared about her in my opinion because that is exactly what he did in Bleach when Aizen was trying to take Rukia away. Renji used himself as a shield to protect Rukia, just like Byakuya did a little later on.

Anyway, this story has now come to its natural conclusion and while I must say that I'm not entirely satisfied with the result in some areas, overall I think it turned out pretty good. It felt rushed and melodramatic in parts here and there in the finale, but at this point I'm just going to leave it alone.

Now per the request of DeathBerryLover1995 when she heard how many negative reviews I was getting for having this story feature Ichigo and Rukia in a friendship rather than a relationship she asked me to post her comment in my next chapter, so here is what she wrote:

"I've read a lot of your reviews and I was really surprised with a few! Actually one made me laugh so hard that made me fall down my chair! Convert IchiRuki fans to IchiHime? Hell people! I can assure you that the author's intentions were far from THAT! I don't remember your name, sorry, cause I really want to thank you! You just made my day! Yes, I won't hide it...I'm an IchiHime fan and a very proud one! But that doesn't mean I have no respect over other characters like you state for the author of this fic. Yes, she did made a mistake by not making it clearly from the begining and I understand your anger but that is no reason to let Hell loose on a story that doesn't meet your standarts or didn't have your favourite pairing have a relationship or even an M rated one! I would advise you to get your mind off the gutter!

Some of you stated that the author and whatever author writes a fic about IchiRuki pairing and turn it like the author of this story did, or Hell even, that IchiHime fans have no respect on Rukia's character and that we let her -and I quote- "suffer in the sidelines, while Ichigo and Inoue live happily ever after"...Now that sentnce in my opinion is really ironic! I can name a few fics of authors that I HAVE read that they have the right opposite from than that! Ichigo and Rukia marrying and Orihime stands in the sidelines with all her misery about her chances were lost...And the stories were written by both IchiRuki AND IchiHime fans!

As for the no-respect in Rukia's character, you surely got it all wrong! I'm an IchiHime fan! I love them together, they make a great couple in my mind! But that doesn't mean I hate the IchiRuki pairing. I usually avoid reading fic with my least favourite pairing but my curriosity had gotten into me and I've read a few and I find them amazing! For example the "I love my room Mate" story is really nice! I like how it's going!  
And Rukia's character in the Bleach series is amazing! I like her character; strong minded, stubborn, arrogant but respectfull, bossy and strong willed... she's just like me, that's why I like her! Because I prefere her with someone else than Ichigo that doesn't mean I don't understand her or that I don't know her and surely as Hell don't want to change your pairing preference, like that dear reviewer said! (Do you really have such a few faith to your preferance pairing, that you had to say it out loud to convince yourself?)

If that's the case then you are doing the same with Orihime's character both in Bleach series and Bleach fanfics! One of you said that this story made you hate her even more or made you think of her even more pathetic that in the beggining...? You are trying to convince us or yourselves that you are right? Watching Bleach is surely not about the pairings (I've understand that from the beggining, personally). It's about the characters, the story, how their feelings and plot mix and develop on their own! The Pairings is our own fantasies! Our own creations! That's why we are making stories with them. That's why FanFiction exists! And if Kubo Tite wanted to make a pairing he surely would have done that long ago at the very first episode or manga... It's actually his fault that we're in this mess! because this pairing war, really it's getting ridiculous! Besides Kubo had said that Bleach will end without any pairings!

*sigh*...and something more. when someone is writting a story, we as reviewers ought to not only respect his preferance, his talent but the story itself and make sure to HELP him/her to continue writting stories and NOT crush his dreams like that. Even if the story or the people in it aren't what or who we wanted. I'll be truthfull and straight forward, people like that have very low morals, they are arrogant without good critic mind and unable to understand something else from their own beliefs.

That's what I wanted to tell, and I'd like to ask the author to put this review in her next chapter so it can be seen by all of you. I want to apologize to the author for what I did, and to all you as I didn't want any of you to get angry and go ballistic and barrage the story with angry and hateful reviews. As you can see, up there it's my pen name "DeathBerryLover1995". Unlike others, I wrote the review using my name, if any one of you he/she can easily pm's me to give me an answer/mock me/hate me or even curse me. Jylener22, I'm sorry I used your story in such a way but I couldn't stand reading such reviews in your story. I hope you are not mad at me. And I hope you are not mad either, reviewers. I just expressed my mind."

I would just add one more thing. For those of you claiming that featuring Ichigo and Rukia in a friendship would only end in tears when Ichigo ends up with Orihime and breaks Rukia's heart, I simply would like to ask this question: when did I ever say that the only friendship Rukia would have here would be with Ichigo? She interacted with Orihime more than Ichigo and yet I was getting reviews saying that I'm having Ichigo fall in love with Orihime in an unrealistic way. I would agree with you if that had been my intent, but as you can see, that obviously didn't happen.

To use a phrase often used nowadays, "Don't judge a book by its cover." Yes, I am an Ichihime fan, but that doesn't mean that I can't enjoy Rukia's character and her actual friendship with Orihime.

I don't see Rukia and Orihime as being rivals for Ichigo's affection, but rather as close-knit friends who were brought together because of Ichigo. If you don't believe me, why you try looking at Rukia and Orihime interactions that have been written by Kubo himself?

Thank you to all of you who have supported me through this story. I wrote it for you all because I continue to write stories as long as people say they enjoy them and have been entertained.


End file.
